An Empty Restaurant and a Broken Wrist
by Hollyleaf6
Summary: In which Tony is an emotional drunk and Steve is confused. Very slight Stony, but can be interpreted as friendship. Rated T, just in case.


**Authors Note: Hello guys. Long time no see. Like two years. So this is my comeback. This little oneshot was part of a contest between me and CallMeStranger to see who could write better fluff. Her story was called Hot and Cold, if you want to find it on this site.**

Steve always felt out of his time. It wasn't really his fault, because he was, by about 70 years. When he was confronted with a cell phone or an ATM, he found himself utterly out of it. He envied Tony, who was so comfortable with technology that he frequently made advances and breakthroughs, creating even more confusing things that Steve didn't understand.  
>It wasn't like Steve was unintelligent. He was just out of his comfort zone. The whole world had moved on, and he'd been dragged out from the past like an antique.<br>Steve found himself in a difficult situation. He was supposed to meet the rest if the Avengers(minus Thor, who was in Asgard) at some restaurant in Brooklyn, but even though Brooklyn was Steve's childhood home, well, it had changed a lot since his childhood. He didn't really know his way around anymore. When he mentioned the fact that he didn't know how to get there, Tony had passed him a paper with an address scrawled on it and told him, "Your car has a GPS. Use it!"  
>Steve now sat in his car, which was parked outside of the apartment SHIELD had given him. He stared at the screen mounted in the dashboard. He had absolutely no idea how to use it. He tried pressing all the buttons around the screen and only succeeded in turning on the air-conditioning full blast, causing the windshield wipers to move erratically, accidentally calling a woman in what seemed to be the Philippines, and various other things. Steve finally just turned the car off and back on so that every thing reset.<br>Then Steve remembered. /The screen./ When Tony had given Steve the car("Just an old project of mine"), he had mentioned something about a touchscreen. Steve now placed one finger against the screen and it responded, now asking for Steve to type in the address of his destination. He was relieved when it asked him to "Proceed twenty yards then turn left."  
>The day was saved.<p>

Apparently, the day was /not/ saved. When Steve arrived at the restaurant, Tony was the only one there. Literally. Steve knew Tony sometimes bought reservations for entire restaurants-sometimes to flaunt his money sometimes to allow him and the others privacy from the press- but this was absurd.  
>Tony was alone in a large booth near the corner, wine glass in hand. Steve was waved in by a waiter who was staring at him in awe. Steve made his way to the booth. He sat down across from Tony and glanced around uncomfortably. "Where's everyone else?"<br>Tony waved the hand that did not hold wine. His voice was slightly slurred. "Oh, they weren't invited."  
>"But-"<br>"Yeah, yeah calm down. I knew you wouldn't come unless it was a team thing. So I need to ask you a few things." Tony swirled the glass and then took a sip, grimacing. "Never really liked this stuff, but people seem to think it makes me look...sophisticated."  
>Steve folded his hands in front of him. "Couldn't you have asked me whatever you need without manipulating me into coming out here?"<br>Tony shrugged. "It's an odd situation."  
>Steve was becoming concerned. Tony and Steve had never been the best of friends, but they tolerated each other. Now this...?<br>Tony opened his mouth to speak but seemed to second guess himself. His fingers tapped the table four times, then a pause, then four times again. He avoided Steve's eyes, and Steve found himself inspecting the pictures on the walls of the restaurant. Tony was really out of it if he couldn't even say anything. So Steve waited.  
>Finally, the tapping stopped and Tony spoke. "Could you...sit over here?"<br>Steve was going to protest but the tone that Tony said it in...it was almost like he had been /defeated/. Steve stood and awkwardly moved around the table to sit down next to Tony. Tony then /wrapped his arms around Steve/ and wouldn't let go.  
>"Stark...?"<br>Tony was quiet for a moment. "My father always talked about you like you were the best man he ever met. He did say that, actually. I can see why he'd spend all his time trying to find you instead of spending it with me."  
>"Tony..."<br>Tony shushed him and snuggled further in Steve's side. "Honestly I don't blame him."  
>"I'm sure that...well..."<br>Tony sighed. "I guess you don't really understand how obsessed my father was with finding you. When he was drunk...I used to hear him talk about how he wishes you were his son. I was always second best. But I don't mind. Not anymore. I understand."  
>Steve didn't know what to say. He found himself carding through Tony's hair. He snatched his hand away but Tony had reached up and pulled his hand back. "You don't have to stop."<br>Steve looked over towards the door and saw the waiter staring at them with wide eyes. The waiter seemed to steel himself and walked over to the table. "Would you two...like something to drink?"  
>Tony mumbled a few words about more wine.<br>The waiter met eyes with Steve. Steve mouthed to the waiter /No more alcohol/.  
>The waiter nodded and scuttled away.<br>Tony cleared his throat and sat up, scooting away from Steve. "Do you know how to use the tablet I made you yet?"  
>Steve blinked and nodded. "Sure. Yeah. I can use it..."<br>"Do you know how to update the OS so that you won't be stuck with the old one? I just sent out an update this morning."  
>Steve remembered the text box that kept popping up on the screen. He hadn't found a way to get past the box so he set the tablet aside. "I can't say I do."<br>"Well basically before the update you need to set the hologram capacitors to a 2 or else it will take too long and then you need open up the back and reroute the papal frame and then once you put it back together you just have to press the update button," Tony grinned and did a bit of a drum roll on the table.  
>Steve was lost right when Toby mentioned hologram capacitors. It must've shown on his face because Tony grabbed a bag that he must've stashed behind him and handed Steve a tablet. "Here, you can have this one. I already did the update. A gift or whatever you want to call it."<br>Steve sat the tablet down on the table gently. "You don't have to..."  
>"Where's the wine I wanted?"<br>"You're not getting it."  
>"Why not?"<br>"You were /hugging me/."  
>Tony raised a hand to call over the waiter. Steve grabbed Tony's wrist to pull his arm back down and when he heard a sickening pop and Tony snatched his hand back. "Oh my god Steve/!"  
>Steve hadn't remembered his strength. Tony was making little mewling sounds like an injured kitten. "Fucking hell Rogers, you broke my wrist or some shit."<br>Steve stood up from the booth. He was extremely flustered. "You need to go to the hospital or something!"  
>Tony made his way past Steve, clutching his hand to his chest. "I can get Dr. Banner to fix it."<br>"He's not that kind of doctor!"  
>"Shut up he can do anything." Tony's jaw was clenched and he tossed a hundred dollar bill at the waiter as he shuffled out the door. "I'm driving back to the Tower."<br>"With that wrist? I can't let you do that."  
>"You don't let me/ do anything," Tony retorted, wincing as he opened the door to his convertible.  
>Tony revved the engine and sped away from the curb, leaving Steve standing outside of the empty restaurant.<p>

Tony had done nothing but whine like a child all day. Steve had brought it upon himself to take care of Tony after he had came home from the hospital with a cast on his arm(Dr. Banner had refused to even try to fix up Tony's wrist). This whole thing was Steve's fault after all. So Tony had been sending Steve off on useless errands, probably just to spite him. But now Tony was reclined in a couch in one of the many living rooms in the Tower, sipping some drink that was probably alcoholic, though he wouldn't tell Steve whether it was or not. Steve was sitting on the opposite end of the couch staring blankly down at the tablet the restaurant had sent to the Tower after he had left it on the table. He scrolled through a few emails but didn't really pay much attention. He was startled by Tony's voice. "Get over here."  
>Steve had a sudden flashback to the restaurant when Tony had asked Steve to sit next to him. "You're not going to hug me again are you?"<br>"What if I feel like hugging someone?"  
>"Call Pepper up here then."<br>Tony took a sip of his drink, which Steve was fairly certain was alcohol. "She's on vacation. Something about her father needing company for something. So get over here."  
>"Really, Stark?"<br>"You're the one who broke my wrist. Plus I'm cold and Clint broke the heater by crawling through the vents and kicking a hole though a panel. "  
>Steve sighed and shifted across the couch to sit next to Tony. Tony pulled Steve into a hug and didn't let go.<br>Steve found that after a while, he didn't really mind.


End file.
